Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla is among a number of players to have offered support to Villarreal defender Mateo Musacchio following his gruesome leg injury.
The Argentinian fractured his fibula and dislocated his left ankle during his side's 1-1 draw at Getafe in the Primera Division on Sunday.
The 24-year-old underwent successful surgery hours later in Madrid.
No recovery time has been set by the club but Musacchio is expected to be sidelined for at least six months.
Cazorla, who played with Musacchio during his time at Villarreal, tweeted: "A lot of best wishes to my friend Mateo, I hope it's not too serious.
"Wishing you all the strength for the recovery."
Villarreal's Argentinian striker Luciano Vietto also tweeted: "We share your pain and sadness, we will be supporting you all the way.
"A lot of strength Mateo!!!"
The Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE) said in a statement: "All the strength in the world to Mateo.
"We will await your return to the pitch as soon as possible with the rest of your Villarreal team-mates."
Musacchio, who joined Villarreal from River Plate in 2009, has been limited to just 12 La Liga starts this season because of injuries.
The South American recovered from a torn hamstring back in January.
"I would have traded losing by a big margin than seeing Mateo getting injured this way," Villarreal coach Marcelino said on his club's official website. "It's a difficult time for everyone.
"It's a very serious injury and it's a real misfortune.
"I didn't think Mateo's injury would be as serious as it is but when I approached the stretcher and I saw that there was so much blood, I got frightened.
"We hope we can all help him in his recovery.
"It's a sad time for us."
Musacchio joins Villarreal captain Bruno Soriano on the sidelines, who is out of action until May with a knee injury sustained earlier this year.
Source: PA-WIRE
